Description
Book SynopsisRethinking Pakistan is a wide-ranging analytical dissection of the Pakistani polity and offers a well-meaning, progressive prescription for present-day Pakistan, stitched together by an eclectic list of experts spanning diverse backgrounds and subjects. From energy self-sufficiency and scientific development to freedom of the press and the essential question of the dominance of the military over civilian affairs, this compendium offers a suitable guide for anyone who seeks to understand the striking mix of contemporary and historic challenges faced by Pakistan in the twenty-first century. The book deals with Pakistan's contemporary realities and future prospects.
Trade ReviewAddressing the major social, economic and political issues facing Pakistan in a series of bracing arguments, this volume will be of interest to policymakers as much as to scholars and members of the reading public. It brings together in one place the most concise exposition and analysis of questions that all Pakistanis will have to grapple with over the next decade, and offers the reader clear options as to how they might be understood and addressed. — Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History, University of Oxford
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Contributors; Introduction, Pakistan: Towards New Beginnings, Bilal Zahoor; Part I – Identity, Religion and Radicalisation; 1. Refuting the Radicals, Tariq Rahman; 2. Unpacking the Myth of Barelvi Eclecticism: A Historical Appraisal, Tahir Kamran; 3. The Conflicted Self: The Existential Battle between being Muslim and Islamic in Pakistan, Nadeem Farooq Paracha; 4. Can Pakistan Have a De-radicalized Future?, Raheem ul Haque; 5. From Figure of Speech to Fists of Fury: Unchecked Incitements to Violence, Muhammad Abrahim Zaka & Fasi Zaka; 6. Curriculum and the Constitution, Rubina Saigol; Part II - Development, Reform and Governance; 7. Labour Policy and Industrial Relations in Pakistan: A Critical Evaluation, Charles Amjad-Ali and Karamat Ali; 8. Land Reforms: Key to Social Justice and Progress, I.A. Rehman; 9. Pakistan: Charting a New Course to Development, Akmal Hussain; 10. Pakistan’s Fundamental Water Governance Challenges – And How to Overcome Them, Erum Sattar; 11. Is there a Silver Bullet to Pakistan’s Energy Crises?, Naveed Arshad and Fiaz Chaudhry; 12. Pakistan's Climate Agenda, Tariq Banuri; 13. Bringing Science to Life in Pakistan, Pervez Hoodbhoy; Part III – Rights, Repression and Resistance; 14. Rescuing the White in the Flag, Zohra Yusuf; 15. Crisis of Impunity: Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan, Reema Omer; 16. Of Kings, Queens and Pawns: Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan, Ayesha Siddiqa; 17. Future of Media Freedom, Umar Cheema; 18. Understanding the Balochistan Conundrum, Rafiullah Kakar; Part IV – Sex, Gender and Emancipation; 19. Sex and Secularism as Resistance Politics, Afiya Shehrbano Zia; 20. In Search of a Pakistani Feminist Discourse, Bina Shah; Part V – Conflict, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy; 21. Peace Must Win, Raza Rumi; 22. Foreign Policy Begins (and Ends) at Home; Muhammad Ismail Khan; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
